Daniel Radcliffe Discusses Alcohol Abuse and Life After Harry Potter

Magic spells didn’t cure Daniel Radcliffe’s dependency on alcohol. The 24-year-old actor has made no secret of his dark days of drinking but in a recent interview, he shared even more insight into the hard work it took to turn a new page.

The Harry Potter star, who’s been sober since 2010, says he turned to alcohol to help him cope with the pressures of being the Boy Who Lived.

“It is not a real pressure, but it is a pressure of living with the thought, ‘Oh, what is all these people are saying I am not going to have a career? What if they are all going to be right and will be laughing and I will be consigned to a bunch of ‘Where are they now?’ lists?’” he tells Sky Arts (via Hello! magazine).

It’s an understandable fear to have after being given arguably one of the choicest movie roles in Hollywood at the young age of 11.

Of course, Daniel’s gone on to excel long after the curtain dropped on his wizarding days. He’s starred on Broadway and just attended the 2014 Tony Awards with his girlfriend, actress Erin Darke. But while he’s happy people have actually started calling him by his given name rather than by Harry Potter — “They tend to know my name, which is lovely” — Daniel says he hasn’t forgotten his big break.

“I will always credit the opportunities I get to Harry Potter,” he says. “I would not be a happy person if I was bitter about those ten years of my life.”